Granville Stanley Hall (
February 1, 1844 -
April 24, 1924) was a
psychologist and educator who pioneered
American psychology. His interests focused on childhood development and evolutionary theory. Hall was the first president of the
American Psychological Association and the first president of
Clark University.
Born in
Ashfield, Massachusetts, Hall graduated from
Williams College in
1867, then studied at the
Union Theological Seminary. Inspired by
Wilhelm Wundt's Principles of Physiological Psychology, he earned his doctorate in psychology under
William James at
Harvard University, after which he spent time at Wundt's
Leipzig laboratory.
He began his career by teaching
English and philosophy at
Antioch College in Ohio. In
1882 (until
1888), he was appointed as a Professor of Psychology and Pedagogics at
Johns Hopkins University, and began what is considered to be the first American psychology laboratory. There, Hall objected vehemently to the emphasis on teaching traditional subjects, e.g., Latin, mathematics, science and history, in high school, arguing instead that high school should focus more on the education of adolescents than on preparing students for college.
In
1887, he founded the
American Journal of Psychology and in
1892 was appointed as the first president of the
American Psychological Association, a position he held until his death. In
1899, he was named the first President of Clark University, a post he filled until
1920. During his 31 years as President, Hall remained intellectually active. He was instrumental in the development of
educational psychology, and attempted to determine the effect
adolescence has on
education. He was also responsible for inviting
Sigmund Freud and
Carl Jung to visit and deliver lectures in
1909.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution and
Ernst Haeckel's Theory of recapitulation were large influences on Hall's career. These ideas prompted Hall to examine aspects of childhood development in order to learn about the
inheritance of behavior. The
subjective character of these studies made their validation impossible.
His work also delved into controversial portrayals of the differences between women and men, as well as the concept of
racial eugenics.
Hall coined the phrase "Storm and Stress" with reference to
adolescence, taken from the German
Sturm und Drang-movement. Its three key aspects are: conflict with parents, mood disruptions, and risky behavior. As was later the case with the work of
Lev Vygotsky and
Jean Piaget, public interest in this phrase and Hall's originating role, faded. Recent research has led to some reconsideration of the phrase and its denotation. In its three aspects, recent evidence supports storm-and-stress, but modified to take into account individual differences and cultural variations. Currently, pyschologists do not accept storm-and-stress as universal, but do acknowledge the possibility in brief passing. Not all adolescents experience storm-and-stress, but storm-and-stress is more likely during adolescence than at other ages.
Hall's major books were
Adolescence (1904) and
Aspects of Child Life and Education (1921).
Hall also coined the technical words describing types of
tickling; knismesis or feather-like tickling, and
gargalesis for the harder, laughter inducing type.
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